Matas Buzelis left prematurely in the Chicago Bulls' 104-100 preseason home loss against the Memphis Grizzlies with a right ankle injury.
Buzelis landed awkwardly and tweaked his right ankle after blocking Jaylen Wells with 8:52 remaining in the opening quarter. He walked gingerly and remained playing until he was escorted by the Bulls' medical staff in the middle of the second period.
The Bulls eventually announced that Buzelis will not return with the injury. He finished Friday's game with six points on 3-for-6 shooting in 12 minutes.
Tiago Splitter mum on Matas Buzelis injury
In his media address right after the game, Chicago Bulls head coach Tiago Splitter told reporters that he still has no idea about Buzelis' condition other than dealing with a "sore" ankle injury.
As such, Splitter was noncommittal when asked if the Lithuanian forward will join the team's two-game preseason road trip, per Bulls reporter Zachary Draves.
Matas Buzelis dismisses right ankle injury concerns
As he addressed what happened right after the game, Matas Buzelis shrugged off concerns about his right ankle injury. The Chicago Bulls standout believes he will join the team's preseason trip.
"It's not bad, it's just being smart," Buzelis said about his early game exit. "It's preseason, just a little sore, nothing crazy.
"I'll try to play, I hate missing games and stuff, so I think I'll be ready for Sunday."
The Bulls will travel to face the Denver Nuggets (Tuesday) and the Milwaukee Bucks (Friday) before going back to Chicago to close out their preseason slate with a home matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Time will tell what Buzelis ' status will be for these upcoming games ahead of the Bulls' new NBA season.